It has been announced in the media that Prince Harry would be in favour of bringing back national service. This surprises me more than somewhat. Not because he said it, unlike some I have no problem with the royal family having opinions, and airing them if they feel strongly enough about it.

What surprises me is that he quite obviously hasn't thought it through. The plain fact is that in this day and age, we; as a country could not afford the return of National Service. Then there is the question of discipline. Several generations have passed since national Service, with discipline getting more and more lax. I'm not talking about hitting someone, there are other forms of disciplinary action. Whether the youth of today would tolerate any encroachment on their feelings/freedoms is another matter.

In theory the idea has much to commend it. From the practical point of view it is a non-starter and I would have thought Prince Harry's advisors would have told him that.